Remnants of a Lullaby
by scarlett2112
Summary: For Elena, this year doesn't feel like Christmas until she quite literally stumbles onto it... *Merry Christmas Eva*


**_Merry Christmas Eva!_**

Having spent the day helping out at the annual Mystic Falls Christmas pageant, Elena is tired by the time they get done cleaning up the garbage and putting things away. Although she's not feeling her usual holiday exuberance, her friends managed to successfully distract her for a few hours.

The day concluded with the town's annual tree lighting ceremony. She was standing with Caroline and Bonnie, Jeremy also made an appearance with Anna on his arm. There was an array of refreshments, popcorn balls, cookies, hot cinnamon and caramel apple cider, coffee, and peppermint hot chocolate.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Damon in the background all by himself, complete with his flask. Their eyes locked momentarily till Liz started to speak then she gave him a nod before looking away to pay attention to the festivities, clapping vigorously when the twenty five foot Virginia Pine was lit up. When she looked over her shoulder a little later, he was gone. She would have liked to wish him a Merry Christmas but Bonnie grabbed her, saying they needed to finish helping with the clean up.

As soon as she gets home, Elena sets her handbag down on the foyer table then goes to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. Leaning against the counter, she takes a long swallow and sighs. She's had a long day. Several minutes pass before she tosses the empty bottle into the recycle bin then retreats to her room to take off her clothes and hop into a nice hot bath - then it's back to Caroline's for a Christmas Eve celebration. Truthfully, she'd just rather stay home.

Pulling the door open, Elena audibly gasps and her eyes widen at the sight. It's like she's stepped into Santa's village at the North Pole, somehow her room's been transformed into a beautiful, colorful, magical, and impossible place.

Walking inside, she's suddenly transported into another world. One that fits in the space of four walls that are filled with the sights and sounds of Christmas. The only light comes from the flickering holiday candles scattered throughout the room and the strands of multi-colored lights wrapped around her window frame and mirror.

The room glows in all the shades of the rainbow both from the candles and the lights as they bounce off her collection of Swarovski crystal figurines. She closes her eyes and breathes deeply, it even smells like Christmas, a mixture of evergreen, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg and spruce.

Though her head is spinning, she hears the soft strains of holiday music floating throughout the space. With her senses on overload, she can't identify the dreamy number because it's impossible to focus only on the sounds. All she wants to do is be still and hang onto the warmth that's filling her, making her tingle from the tips of her fingers to her toes.

When the colors begin to fade, she can finally bring herself to hone in on the man responsible for transforming her room into this magical place. His back is to her, obviously preoccupied with something and then she watches as his arms raise to place a topper on a tiny Christmas tree.

Suddenly he turns, smiling guiltily. His beautiful face is aglow, lit up by candles and the rainbow of lights.

"Merry Christmas."

She shuffles further into the room, still trying to take in this wonderland but most of all, his very presence. It's almost more than she can bear.

"What's all this?"

"This," he begins, opening his arms wide to sweep the room, "is Christmas."

"I'll say," she says more to herself than to him. "I don't, um... understand."

"Well, I think that after the hellish year we've had," he pauses and his eyes drop for a few seconds. "We could both use a little timeout."

"You do know that it's only Christmas Eve?"

Still wearing his grin, Damon strides wordlessly towards her, causing her breath to hitch and her heart to race. _He always has that effect on her. _

"My mom always thought Christmas Eve was full of magic," he explains, looking down to meet her eyes.

Biting on her lower lip for a moment, she counters, "I don't know if I'm in the mood to celebrate. With everything that's happened in the last few months... And given the state of our relationship," she waves her hand between the two of them, "I'm not sure this is such a good idea."

"I know our life hasn't been ideal, Elena. But we love each other, and I'm not going to give up on us, I hope you won't either... But that's a talk for another night. It's Christmas and I think we should be able to have one little moment in time where we can just forget about everything and just... be."

"I'm supposed to be at Caroline's place. Jeremy and Anna will be there, Bonnie and Enzo too, they're trying to help," she releases a shuddering breath, tears rushing to her eyes. "I can't stop thinking about it," she finishes in a strangled voice.

"Trust me, you will be able to spend Christmas Eve with them. I won't take that away from you but I wanted us to have a moment before you have to leave."

"Damon...?"

"Oh come on," he coaxes, "A little bit of holiday cheer won't hurt."

Rolling her eyes, she surveys the room a little closer, deliberately trying to avoid the myriad shades of blue in his.

He grins widely. "If you keep frowning, Santa won't leave you anything under the tree."

"Oh I'm pretty sure he'll find my name on the nice list," she informs him confidently, her eyes sparkling as she settles back into their familiar banter. "You on the other hand... have no doubt earned your way onto the naughty one."

"You think I'm naughty?" he huffs indignantly albeit with a twinkle in his eyes.

She crosses her arms over her chest defiantly, "I suspect you're at the top of the list."

"I'll show you naughty," he promises, devilishly lunging towards her.

Caught off guard, she can't avoid his grasp. He catches her in his arms and instantly begins tickling her sides. She squeals with laughter, squirming as she tries to get away from his relentless torture.

"Damon," she shrieks breathlessly, twisting and turning to escape his clutches.

"If I'm going to be on the naughty list, I want to at least earn my place."

Acting quickly, Elena twirls out of his arms and darts away from him. She barely puts any distance between them before he latches onto her arm and pulls her back to him. Holding tightly, he walks her backwards and traps her between himself and the desk.

"Okay, okay," she concedes, breathing heavily. "I'm sure Santa will bring you something, you've been plenty nice this year too."

"That's more like it," he quips smugly, grinning from ear to ear.

"But only by default, Santa is all seeing..."

He doesn't even bother with a smart comeback, all he can focus on is her face, her twinkling eyes, and the fast rise and fall of her chest from the laughter. He doesn't think he's ever seen her more beautiful.

"I've missed this," he whispers suddenly. He unthinkingly reaches down and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, letting his fingers linger across the softness of her skin.

"Damon," she looks away, her eyes falling to the floor. "I think we're both pretty raw from everything that's happened, me especially, and I'm not sure if it's a good idea for us to be doing this. And plus, it's Christmas and people feel things they probably shouldn't or..."

"I'm not feeling anything that I shouldn't, Elena. I love you, I have for my whole life. We can't give up on each other. You told me you needed some time, I'm respecting your wish, just don't close the door on us completely," he implores. Before she can speak, he continues, "It's Christmas. Let's not think about any of that other stuff, okay? Right here, in this room, it's only you and me and we don't need to worry about anything else in the real world. Even if it's only for this tiny sliver of time. Do you think you can manage that?"

"I'll try," she nods and reaches up to wipe the moisture that's beginning to well in her eyes.

"Thank you. Now, I'm pretty sure that you did make it onto the nice list, however, I'm just as sure that it's because of some fluke, which means..." he stretches his arm out, pressing into her slightly so that he can reach under the tiny tree on her desktop. He pulls it back, holding a small box between his fingers and smiling wickedly as he waves it in front of her.

"What's that?" Her eyes light up as they follow the box - perfect in shiny red and green striped foiled paper with a white bow on top.

"It might be for you," he teases.

"You got me a present?" she squeaks, her heart squeezing in her chest.

"It is Christmas after all, and according to you, you've been an exceptionally good girl..."

"You didn't have to..."

"Of course I did. When I was growing up, my parents always let us open our gifts on Christmas Eve."

"Shocking," she deadpans. "I can't say I'm entirely surprised that you could charm your mother into letting you open them early."

"Actually it was my dad," he tells her quietly. "He loved Christmas and was always like a little boy when it came to opening presents but that all changed when mom died. He tried, he really did but things just weren't the same after..."

"It sounds like she had her hands full," Elena arches an eyebrow, trying to change the trajectory of his thoughts.

"She did," he agrees softly, a faraway smile lighting up his eyes. "But she always loved the holidays as much as we did. Besides, she was pretty firm and really... she couldn't be talked into anything unless she wanted to. Kind of like you..."

"And yet she couldn't resist," she quips.

Damon carefully places the small package into her hands, delighting in her reaction.

Staring down at the gift with wide eyes, she looks up Damon.

"Go ahead, open it," he encourages.

Nodding, she obliges him, first pulling the bow and letting the ribbon flutter to the floor. Then she eagerly unwraps the box, letting the paper fall as well. Left with nothing more than a simple black box, she lifts the lid to reveal the what's hiding within.

"Damon," she gasps, pulling the silver necklace free. The lights around the room catch the pendant, making it shimmer.

He can't help but smile at her reaction. "Does this mean that you like it?" he asks sheepishly.

"It's beautiful, Damon."

"The key is to represent that you'll always hold my heart and this is Kanji," he points to the engraving on it."

She shakes her head, both at a loss for words and not completely understanding his reasoning behind it.

"I was trying to come up with the perfect thing for you and me, it wasn't easy, let me tell you," he arches an eyebrow. "We've shared so many wonderful and not so wonderful moments... I couldn't think of a single thing that could represent everything. Then it dawned on me, I could get something to represent who you are and how much you mean to me."

"And you chose a key with this symbol on it?" she looks at him confused.

"That is the *Kanji symbol for life... and you, Elena, are my life," he tells her sincerely, his blue eyes shining with emotion.

She sucks in a sharp breath, blown away by how much thought he put into the gift.

"And every time you look at that pendant," he taps his index finger against it, a half smile curving up his lips. "you'll know that you're my world."

"Damon," she breathes, overcome with emotion. "I don't know what to say..."

"You don't have to say anything," he assures her.

There are no words she can ever say to express just how grateful she is, how utterly astounded she is at his heartfelt gift. It's enough to make her forget all their troubles if only for a moment.

Damon takes the necklace from her and holds it up, wordlessly telling her that he's going to put it where it belongs. Undoing the clasp, he reaches behind her and secures it in place. He rests his fingers against the cool metal.

Tears begin to blur her vision but they don't stop her smile.

"Thank you," she whispers emotionally. "It's absolutely perfect. I love it and I just... I don't know what else I can say except thank you."

"That's more than enough," he nods, reluctantly letting his fingers slip from her shoulders.

"I feel guilty though."

"Why is that?" he looks at her, wordlessly questioning her.

"Because, Damon, you got me such an incredibly meaningful gift and I... I didn't get you anything."

"That's not true," he shakes his head back and forth.

"It is," she protests.

"Nope," he assures her, shaking his head. "You've already given me the greatest gift - you let me celebrate Christmas Eve with you and I think even you might be enjoying it a little bit too," he squeezes his thumb and index finger together teasingly. "And that's more than I could have asked for."

"Good thing you didn't ask for me," she says lightly, hoping to break the tense, emotional mood that's settling on the room. "I'm not sure if Santa would have room for me on his sleigh."

"Oh please," he scoffs playfully, "A petite little thing like you wouldn't have any trouble fitting into one of those great big toy bags, or I suspect Prancer or Rudolph wouldn't mind giving you a lift," he winks.

"I thought you were supposed to be nice, you know 'tis the season and all that," she reminds him, pouting playfully.

"Fine, I'll be nice. How about a tea party?" he changes the subject. "I've got homemade hot chocolate and cookies."

She nods her head eagerly, already having been enticed by the aromas in the room.

Damon turns on his heels and goes back to the desk where he retrieves the plate of cookies with one hand and takes the small tree with the other. He sits both down on the tiny table and chairs she's had since she was a child. Silently, Elena plops down herself, leaning back against the little chair and stretching her legs out in front of her. He returns to her, this time with two steaming mugs of hot cocoa with a dollop of whipped cream swirled on top along with a smattering of shaved dark chocolate. He presses one into her hand then sits down beside her, his legs spread wide to accommodate them.

"Cookie?" he offers, holding up a plate of the colorfully decorated goodies.

"Did you make these yourself?" she asks, surveying the selection.

"Yes, I did. Try one."

"I guess one can't hurt, she indulges, grabbing a bell shaped cookie with green frosting and silver sprinkles. She takes a nibble, moaning softly at the sweet rich flavor when it hits her tongue. "You can bake cookies for me anytime you want."

The couple is lulled into a comfortable silence, the background music provided by the soft sound of the Christmas carols. They sip their hot cocoa and concentrate on the tiny, glowing tree that sits on the table in front of them.

Suddenly Damon turns to her. "What did you ask Santa for this year?"

Elena bows her head, letting out a shuddering breath. "What I want... I can't have," she chokes out...

Reaching for her hand, Damon twines his fingers with hers and squeezes gently. "I'm sorry," he rasps, unsure of what else to say. He wishes he had the power to turn back time. If it was even remotely possible, he would give her the moon.

She shakes her head, lifting her tear-filled eyes back to his. "It's okay. It's silly for me to even think that way."

"I don't think it's silly," he tells her in a gravelly voice.

Her lips twist into a small smile, grateful for his reassurance. "So what did you ask Santa for?"

Damon shakes his head. "I didn't need to ask for anything... everything I want is right here."

Elena smiles at him, shifting her eyes back to the Christmas tree. She leans back more fully against the bed and allows her eyes to flutter shut, reveling in the moment she's sharing with him. Even with them closed she can see the bright lights that fill the room and feel Damon beside her.

When she opens them again, she sneaks a sideways glance at him and finds that he is watching her closely. Her cheeks flush at the thought that he's been watching her with endless love that's so easy to read in his eyes.

"I should really get going. Everyone's expecting me, Jer too."

He nods and although he understands her need to go, the selfish part of him wants to keep her for a little longer. Damon gets up and extends his hand, helping her to stand.

Elena looks at the man across from her closely, his face brilliantly lit by the colorful lights and candles spread throughout the room, and even how very beautiful he is in her eyes. She cannot help the budding ache in her chest over the thought of him being all alone on this night while she'll be surrounded by an entire group of people. They'll all be there to hold her up and support her while he'll go home to an empty house...

With a burgeoning sense of determination, she decides to remedy that as best as she can and invite him to join her. No one should have to spend Christmas all alone.

"Why don't you come with me?" she suggests, "Spend Christmas Eve with me and our friends... that is, unless you made other plans?"

"Really?"

"Yeah," she bobs her head.

"Are you sure they won't mind? I don't want to intrude..."

"Damon, you are as much a part of the group as I am. I want you to spend Christmas with us and I would especially love for you to come with me."

"In that case... how can I refuse? I'd love to spend the evening with you, Elena."

"Good," she affirms, smiling from ear to ear. "Let's go then."

She grabs his hand, lacing their fingers together and pulling him towards her bedroom door, but Damon stops her by pulling on her hand.

"What?" she turns back to face him.

"You're forgetting one thing." With his free hand, he points upwards where a sprig of mistletoe is hanging above her door. "We can't break Christmas tradition, now can we?"

"Oh no," Elena shakes her head, "it might be bad luck."

Tugging on her hand, Damon pulls her against him. They both glance up at the mistletoe before looking at one another.

Threading his fingers through her hair, he tilts her head back and lowers his mouth to meet hers in a sweet, tender kiss. Just the slightest touch of his lips against hers is enough to weaken her knees. She clings to him a little tighter to hold herself up.

When he pulls back, leaving the kiss as a chaste, sweet one, Damon is smiling brightly at her. "Merry Christmas Elena, I love you," he whispers, leaning in to press another one to the tip of her nose, making her smile grow even wider.

"Merry Christmas Damon and I love you."

* * *

_*The Japanese introduced Chinese characters into their written language in the 5th century. The characters are known as kanji. They are very old, some of them date back to 1000 B.C., but they have preserved their creative power until our days. Kanji symbols express the beauty of human life and communicate feelings to us humans in very old way, through images. The Japanese kanji symbols are genuine pictograms which connect us with our spoiled human imagination, the source of all languages._

_I hope you liked this one Eva. I can't even express how much you mean to me. We've never even met in real life and still I consider you my closest friend ever. I love you like the sister I never had._

_Huge thanks to our dear friend Kate aka Florencia7 - who's a spectacular DE writer - for beta reading this for me and for the synopsis. Love you my friend._

_I'm anxious for your thoughts on this one. Thank you again for everything you do for both Eva and me. You're the reason we haven't closed up shop just yet. _

_Have a terrific day and thank you. We'll see you again soon with the next episode of DEHolidays2019_


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